CXCL12-induced partitioning of flotillin-1 with lipid rafts plays a role in CXCR4 function

Eur J Immunol. 2007 Aug;37(8):2104-16. doi: 10.1002/eji.200636680.

Abstract

Lipid rafts play an important role in signal integration and in the cellular activation of a number of cytokine and growth factor receptors. It has recently been demonstrated that flotillin proteins are recruited to lipid raft microdomains upon cellular activation and play a role in neural cell regeneration, receptor signaling and lymphocyte activation. However, little is known about the relevance of the flotillin proteins during T cell responses to chemoattractant stimulation. To this end, cytoplasmic and lipid raft fractions from human T cells were analyzed for flotillin protein redistribution prior to and after CXCL12 stimulation. Flotillin-1, but not flotillin-2, redistributes to lipid rafts upon CXCR4 ligation. Moreover, in CXCL12-treated T cells, flotillin-1 also associates with several raft proteins including LAT, CD48 and CD11a but not Lck. In addition, an increase in CXCR4 association with flotillin-1 in lipid rafts was observed after chemokine treatment. RNAi technology was also utilized to inhibit the expression of flotillin-1, resulting in an inhibition of CXCL12-mediated signaling, function and CXCR4 recruitment into lipid rafts. Together, these data suggest that the increased association of cellular flotillin-1 with lipid raft microdomains during chemokine exposure may play an important role in chemokine receptor signaling and receptor partitioning with lipid rafts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Adhesion / immunology
  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Chemokines, CXC / immunology*
  • Chemokines, CXC / metabolism
  • Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / immunology
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Humans
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology
  • Membrane Microdomains / immunology*
  • Membrane Microdomains / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / immunology*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein Transport / immunology
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / immunology*
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / immunology*
  • Transfection

Substances

  • CXCL12 protein, human
  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Chemokines, CXC
  • Membrane Proteins
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Receptors, CXCR4
  • flotillins